These Are the Nights That Never Die
by AsylumDoll21
Summary: She is Tal-Vashoth, She is the Inquisitor, and he loved her... Horns and all. But would he to realize it in time? Or would he let political influences stop him from finally claiming something for himself regardless of judgement? And does she even feel the same way about him? P.S.- I own nothing but I wish I could lay claim to Varric's luxurious chest hair XD! may be rated m later.
1. Alone Time

There was a dusky grey tinge to the sky as he stepped out of his tent that morning. They had been on the move for the inquisition for 2 weeks now and were making a return trip to the hinterlands in a few days time. Rolling his shoulders back he bent backwards and heard his spine give a satisfying crackle. He was up before even the elf today, sort of a grumpy lout if you were to ask him. But he supposed there was always that hint of misunderstanding between elves and dwarves. He quickly headed down the hill from the encampment with a slight spring in his step. A bath seemed in order as even he was beginning to get offended by the smell.

Stripping down to nothing more than the chain around his neck and the hoops in his ears, he waded into the river, sucking in a breath as the bitter cold water swept over his bare skin. He was grateful for this time alone, one more minute with that seeker questioning everything and accusing him of anything and he would've sworn to leave right then and there. Of course he wasn't going to show it outright but his patience was far beyond tested. Then there was the spy master, Leliana. She had a kind face when you were looking at her, but her eyes seemed to go cold if you looked away. Almost like if she looked hard enough she could uncover all your secrets… which, he mused, was probably true. He was glad she wasn't around much. To be completely honest she kind of made him feel on edge.

But then there was her… she almost literally fell from the sky. Never mind it was because she stepped through a rift to get here. He'd seen all different types of her kind, but never one with her soft complexion. Even her skin was a more vibrant shade, as if it were more alive than the others. He'd never thought in a million years that there would be a Qunari with such… Human qualities. Her eyes were a bright blue with a purple tinge to the middle of them. And they were sad. Sad eyes that reflected all the pain she'd been through, every loss that had been inflicted upon her. And every blow she struck against the ones who wronged her made her hard. Her demeanor, her actions, her words. All harsh, but without that look she had given him that day, he never would have had the curiosity to dig deeper into the enigma that was the inquisitor. But it wasn't just her eyes that were striking. She was very well endowed by the maker and he was lying if he said it didn't interest him to see what she might have for talent in the bedroom. She was tall, with broad shoulders that curved delicately down, her collar bone was a slight contour over her large… dammit. He sunk down in the river and dunked his head. Attempting to wash away the tempting images of a woman he had never even seen naked. It was depressing enough that he knew he couldn't have her, too many political hoops to jump through. Besides it would have been a nightmare trying to explain it to the inquisition leaders.

When his head broke the surface if the water he gasped for breath and smiled to himself. He ran a hand through his hair and finished his musings as he bathed. He finally turned and made his way back to the shore, the smooth stones under his feet were a welcome sensation and barely affected the dwarf's tough skin. He slowly sauntered towards where he'd left his clothes, and dressed carefully, enjoying his last moments of quiet and sanity. But then there was a scuttling noise behind him. He whipped around, staring out into the surrounding woods. There was a thick tree line between the river and the camp blocking the view of the tents and the fire pit. Nothing seemed to be moving from there and the noises had stopped. The dwarf finished getting dressed and wandered back to the tents lined up in a semi-circle. He kept his ears perked up and stepped lightly. Moving towards his tent he took one last look around before backing into his tent and turning around… only to run smack into the chest of the Qunari woman he had spent all morning fantasizing about. The dwarf simply turned as she covered herself and heaved a sigh of irritation.

"My apologies Inquisitor, I seem to have mistaken your tent for mine. Similar color and all that. But you might want to get dressed. There's something outside." He spoke calmly and lowly, attempting to convey as much urgency as possible in the few words he could think to say after such an intrusion. Normally he wasn't one to be embarrassed of a woman's body, but this one was purely an accident. One which the generally stout dwarf was completely unprepared for.


	2. Waking sleep

The woods were calm in the still morning air. The birds were flitting about and the rushing of the river over its rocky banks filled her ears. She raised her head from her pillow and blinked, trying to bring the world into focus through her bleary sleep filled eyes. Her head ached and her bones and muscles felt weary. Yesterday had been trying for everyone and tempers were running high. They had lost. And it had torn Cassandra's world apart. The knowledge that the village they were meant to have protected had been completely demolished was more than anyone could bear. And now she would have to deal with a devastated seeker for the duration of her depression. She stood from her bed and ducked to avoid her horns catching on the tent fabric above her head. Being a Qunari amongst regular sized people… a certain one of them shorter than most… did have its challenges. For some reason every doorway was built with the intention of beheading her.

She crossed the tent to the small desk across on the other side and picked up the chest plate of her armor. The leather was old and cracked and the metal was beginning to wear thin in places. She inspected the fittings and buckles, looking for any other weak points that may have been apparent. Finding none she returned to her bedding and splayed out on the mattress, the cool spring air brushing over her skin. She didn't always sleep in nothing, but that night had been particularly warm in the valley and she had decided that clothes were too troublesome.

There were footsteps outside and her ears pricked up at the sound. She'd know those footprints anywhere. That was the sound of the resident dwarf… why was he sneaking about this early in the morning. She found out as the dwarf backed through the opening to her tent and did a 360 turn to avert his eyes from her.

"My apologies Inquisitor, I seem to have mistaken your tent for mine. Similar color and all that. But you might want to get dressed. There's something outside." He stated slowly. Her cheeks burned with an intense heat that she was unaware she had the ability to feel. She dressed quickly and began pulling on her armor when the dwarf suddenly grabbed her and forced her down to the ground. Before she good yell at him for the indignant treatment of a lady, the tent was ripped up by a gust of wind that scattered debris around the camp sight. One of the tents was on fire and Solas came running out of it half clothed. Varric was still pressing her head down low but she refused to cower when there was a fight to be had. Mages were attacking and this was no time to be weak. Cassandra was in full armor and when one of the mages came too close to the tent she burst through the front and cut him down where he stood. She looked up from her position on the ground and pushed the dwarf away.

"Go! Find Bianca!" she yelled as she leapt forward and pulled her daggers from their sheaths where her armor lay scattered. This was not a fight that seemed to favor them. She was unprepared and unprotected against magic. She hoped the skills she had would be enough as she targeted a mage who was just about to unleash a freezing spell in their direction. He fell easily enough but she needed to move on. There were so many of them, she had never seen them swarm like this before. She ran to Cassandra's aid and they stood back to back while Solas was a few feet away from them, casting spells and warding off most of the magical attacks. They cut many down together but knew they'd have to split up if they were going to succeed in this skirmish.

"Where is Varric?!" Cried Cassandra, shielding herself from a large fireball. The Qunari looked around, but she saw no sign of him. Come to think of it she hadn't heard the familiar sound of an arrow leaving his crossbow for more than a few minutes now. The swell of mages was finally easing and the apostate and seeker looked like they could handle things on their own from there on, so she broke away and searched in the direction she had last seen the dwarf. It took a few moments, but she found him surrounded by mages in the middle of the river. They circled him like vultures and he was clearly outnumbered. She ran to him and leapt, bringing her daggers down into the spines of two mages at once. Varric whirled and shot one trying to attack her from behind. She rose up out of the water and sliced another's throat and watched as the last few were quickly dealt a swift death by arrow.

The river ran red with blood and the two companions stood there with each other, breathing heavily. She was tired even though she had just woken. Her eyes could barely stay open and she walked to the shore with heavy sluggish movements. Her clothes were soaked in the red water and there was a chill in her bones. The usually chatty dwarf said nothing as he accompanied her back to the now devastated camp sight. The other two were still alive and were going through the belongings of the fallen mages. Cassandra rose from a mage who'd had his eye replaced with a large spray of ice. In her hands was a note.

"I knew it." She said to herself before quickly bringing the note to the weary Qunari. "There was no way this was a random attack. They were sent to find us. Look, this note only says where and when. They were waiting for us. How did they know that we were going to camp here before we did?" she looked up at the taller female with a look of worry written across her features.

"I don't know. Solas? Any ideas on how this is possible?" she blinked tiredly. Varric came around behind her and subtly put his hand on the small of her back without the other two noticing. She stiffened and her mind woke up, the fog cleared from her eyes briefly. She looked down at him, completely ignoring the monotonous answer of the elf apostate. He nodded in a knowing way and she was surprised how easily he caught her as her knees buckled beneath her and she plummeted straight into his arms. The other two blinked rapidly for a moment and were suddenly above her worrying. Cassandra ordered one of the foot soldiers nearby to get water from the river and clean cloth from the medical kit. Varric laid her on the ground carefully and backed away when the grim looking seeker glared daggers at every part of him. She propped the Qunari's head up off the ground with a folded piece of leather that Solas had given her, and then they proceeded to check her body for wounds. Finding none Solas resorted to magic to see if it was possible that a spell had been cast. Indeed that was the case. They were relieved that she would only sleep. For how long he couldn't tell, but at least she wasn't in any harm.


	3. Nightmares and Wetdreams

Three days. She'd been sleeping for three days. He started to worry about the tool it would have on her body, such a nice supple frame with all the fire and steel of a dragon kept buried in it's core. If she didn't eat she would die. They'd managed to get her somewhat conscious and some broth in her before she slipped away again yesterday, but that wouldn't be enough. If anything happened to her then they would lose their chance to seal the breach, they'd lose the face of the inquisition and he'd lose her. Wait where had that thought come from… it wasn't like they'd had a romantic relationship before all this. Hell he didn't even know her name. No one did as a matter of fact. They had been taking turns staying up at night to watch her in case she were to wake up or… maker forbid… her condition worsen. By day they traveled on horseback to haven, but that would be yet another 5 days to reach it. It was the only place they were safe. Not to mention the going was slow. Cassandra couldn't handle the weight of the larger woman on the back of her horse and the elf had already accidentally dropped her off the back of his horse, which meant that Varric was the only person he trusted to ride with the sleeping woman. They'd start before daybreak and end up only having gone a short ways. Two bodies on one horse was difficult for the animal, however sturdy it happened to be.

They were moving along at a good clip today. Tomorrow they would have to head into the mountain pass, meaning they'd need to slow down to avoid any accidents. They'd been lucky enough to avoid any bandits this far, but once in the mountains it was going to be a crap shoot. The dappled grey horse he was riding snorted and stamped her hooves excitedly before she completely stopped altogether.

"Hey! Easy girl! Easy." He patted her neck to smooth the nervous animal. He looked around by her hooves and saw something glinting in the dirt dangerously close to his horse.

"Hey! Everybody stop moving! Don't let your horse take another st-!" but he didn't call out in time. Cassandra's horse crumpled as the caltrop pierced into its hoof, throwing her from the wounded animal and into the sparse grass below. Solas dismounted and pushed his horse backwards quickly before running to help Cassandra to her feet. By that time the horse had stopped moving and was lying on the ground breathing heavily. They tried to comfort the animal but strangley he didn't seem to notice they were there. Solas removed the caltrop from the hoof and groaned in desperation.

"It's coated in poison." He said dejectedly. He smelled the nefarious little piece of metal and his nose wrinkled. "Fatal by the looks of it." He was right too. The horse had already stopped struggling and it's breathing ceased quickly after that. They decided to go around towards the path was littered with them and they couldn't naviget them very well with the sunlight beginning to fade, so they broke for camp, turning back a ways and setting up what was left of their needed materials. That night Varric was on watch and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He was confident that he could do the job to be sure, but he wasn't sure about leaving himself with a beautiful woman unattended. Didn't they know what he did to beautiful, helpless women? If they didn't… well that was probably for the best actually. Although he still thought they were a bit daft for letting him take watch. Not that he planned on taking advantage of anyone, but the scene in his head was almost too good to be true.

_There she was, sleeping soundly in her bed when he entered the tent. He sat next to her with bated breath and slowly reached up to brush aside a lock of stray hair that had fallen loose from its usual place. She muttered in her sleep and turned her face into his palm, almost nuzzling into it like a cat. He cupped her cheek and felt her warm skin send shivers through his palm. She looked so peaceful, almost happy. The way her eyes were closed delicately. Her eyebrows not wrinkled in frustration or determination. The way her lips shimmered as though they'd been blessed by Andraste herself. The silent woman with no name that he had come to cherish. He wanted her. He let his lips fall to her quietly and she muttered in response. He ran a hand through her hair and she moaned quietly._

"Varric…" Wow. His imagination was pretty good. Normally when he thought up his stories he heard everything in his head, but that sounded real. He blinked back to the real world and found a certain discomfort very apparent in his trousers. But then he heard it again. "Varric…" it was faint and coming from inside the tent. He stood gently and pushed aside the cloth hanging in the opening. She was laying on the bed curled up into a ball with the covers wrapped around her legs. She was breathing fast and shallow and was feebly kicking the blankets. He came to her side quickly and freed her legs from their confinement. Her hand shot out and clamped around his coat sleeve. She gripped the material strongly and her eyes were shut tightly. A nightmare? Her back arched off the mattress and she was thrashing her legs like she was trying to run from something. Her movements became erratic and strained, her voice ripped through her throat in a tortured cry that wasn't loud enough to wake the others. He was unsure of what needed to be done. He'd never been in a position where he'd needed to comfort someone, Let alone someone who was in a deep sleep. However she couldn't be left to her own devices. She kept whispering no over and over again and she was clawing the air above her. Carefully he reached for her wrists and grabbed them gently, when she suddenly jerked and hit him square in the nose. His eyes watered and he shook his head trying to clear the pain away. He struggled with her, shushing her and wrestling her arms to the bed. She thrashed and her eyes teared up. It was hard to restrain her due to her strength which although it was diminished was still incredible. His arms were much shorter than he needed them to be which meant if he was to truly restrain her, he was going to have to practically lay on her chest.

She was feverish and her skin burned to the touch, as though she was fighting off an infection. She was breathing heavily and she struggled against him, her strength fading. Her heart beat frantically against her ribs, reverberating into his chest. She arched up against him pressing into some… tender places that really should never have come into contact with anyone at this point in time.

He sucked in a breath as she calmed herself and settled back to her quiet moaning and rolling about in her sheets. The violent spat had left him winded and he slid down the side of the bed and took a deep breath. The control this woman had over him was ridiculous. And he didn't even know her name.


	4. The Morning After

The night passed in silence. Varric stayed seated next to the bed for hours. He barely moved at all in that time. He put his hand on his head and ran it through his hair when his hand was suddenly stopped by an object. He removed his gloves and reached for the top of his head only to find a set of fingers entwined in his hair, gently stroking and rubbing the fine golden fibers. When their fingers touched it was like a spark ran through them and she froze with her hand still on his head. He brought his hand away slowly and she resumed her petting. Surprisingly it felt really good. Varric relaxed into her touch and felt the tension in his neck fade away as she lightly ran her fingers through his hair over and over again. His ponytail loosened and fell out as she continued and the leather string that held his hair fell limply to the ground. He sat like that for a few hours just listening to her breathing before he finally nodded off to sleep.

The sunlight brightened the sky gradually and the seeker was the first to rise with it. She stretched her arms above her head and cracked her neck from side to side. Something she never did in public. Despite being a warrior she was also still a lady. She walked towards the tent where Varric and the Qunari had stayed and opened the flap to check in with Varric. She was astonished to see that he had fallen asleep sitting up, leaning into the hand of a still sleeping Qunari. She had been planning late last night and wanted to tell the dwarf what the new plan was, but almost felt like she shouldn't have been there. She quietly left the tent and found that the mage was already packing his supplies for the day.

"Are we sticking to the same plan today Seeker?" the elf asked idly. She bit her bottom lip. She didn't like the idea, but they really had no choice.

"There's no way we'll make it across the mountain path before nightfall if we're carrying our sleeping beauty with us. You and I will take the mountain path today and make it to haven in a few days. We have to leave them behind or else they will not make it through the pass. It's simply too dangerous. Varric will stay with her and keep an eye out. Once we reach haven I will send a cart out to collect them, but there is simply no way to make it with four people and only 2 horses." She said sounding irritated. She knew that if they didn't leave now they would run out of supplies and would have to stop somewhere in the mountain pass. Off in the distance she could see some old looking houses.

"Maybe we should check for supplies there. They may not have much, but we don't really have much choice at the moment." Solas followed her gaze towards the sad little village. He nodded and they mounted up quickly, knowing that the trip would be short.

When they made it to the houses they were all abandoned. There was no sign of people anywhere and the silence unnerved Cassandra to her core. They dismounted, leaving the horses tied next to a water trough which was practically bone dry. It looked like the people that lived here left in a hurry, objects were toppled over in houses and there were still clothes and furnishings inside. They collected a few things, some water skins that were half full, a few dried meats and some ingredients for soup. Solas managed to find a few of Varric's books in one of the houses… to Cassandra's great embarrassment. They searched a few other houses as well and found that someone had been preserving fruit in bottles with corks firmly sealed in wax. They took those and a few bits of cloth from what looked like a healer's living space. They packed everything into their bags and returned to camp without incident.

Back at the camp site, Varric had lolled over onto his side and had splayed out on the floor next to her bed. His clothes were disheveled and his hair was tangling in the back where his head met the floor of the tent. Her arm dangled limply from the side of the bed, her fingers still twitching as if they had never stopped touching the dwarf. In one movement she turned and rolled to the edge of the bed, making the wooden frame creak from the sudden shift in weight. The sound made the dwarf fade back into consciousness briefly. He looked up at her shifting form blearily before his eyes widened as she fell from her perch directly on top of him. Her body was warm and after he regained the air she had knocked from his lungs, he realized that this was a very precarious situation. Her legs were around his waist and her left hand was kneading his chest lightly, somewhat like a cat. It figures that he'd wear a shirt with an open front that day. His breath hitched as she nuzzled into his neck and she ceased moving yet again. He waited for her to make another move but it never came, and there was an uncomfortable hardness growing where her hip was positioned. He made to move her off of him and attempt to get her back into bed but she only clung to him. Finally he managed to get himself upright just as he heard hoof beats approaching. He stepped over her unmoving form and let himself out of the tent, raking his hair back from his face. The looks he received were of mild disgust and… was that a smile from the elf?

They had talked the plan over and all were in agreement that it was the most logical thing to do, given the circumstances. Varric knew this wasn't going to be easy, but he didn't want to let his friends down. Besides, he wasn't exactly the type of person who could give orders back in haven.


	5. The Devil in the Details

Hey! Just wanted to put this little note in here for everyone that reads these fanfics. I really appreciate everyone of you. You guys are the reason I write so much. I hope you guys will leave comments and reviews for me. Let me know if there's a direction that this story should go. I'd love to hear from you! Now back to Varric and his sleeping beauty!

He sat next to her bed with a bowl of broth that the elf had left over the fire for him. The day had passed in silence and he found himself feeling very, very bored. He had no writing utensils left and he had re-read the story he had started about a million times. He couldn't get it right either. There was something missing. He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but he was too sleep deprived to figure it out at the time.

His mind returned to him and he took a spoonful of the soup and set it to her lips. Tilting her head forward, he slowly ladled it into her mouth. She reflexively swallowed. Varric was thankful for that. The first few times they'd tried to feed her she'd sat there limply and just let it dribble from her mouth. Then she'd choke and have to be turned over to make sure she didn't suffocate. It was hard, but theoretically he knew what he was doing. Solas had given her the once over before leaving for the pass. He'd concluded that she was showing signs of waking up, but she was still in the grip of the sleeping spell. It could still take up to a week for her to stop feeling its effects.

So there he was. In his wildest imagination he never thought he, a dwarf, would be a caretaker of a Qunari warrior. It just seemed like his life was turning into a bad comedy. Not like it wasn't bad enough that he didn't understand their nature, but trying to get them to show emotion was like asking a dragon not to eat you… in other words, damn near impossible. But if this is what the inquisition told him to do then I suppose he really had no choice. They couldn't afford to lose time because of her, but they couldn't afford to lose her either. And what was with that attack? It made no sense. It was like they had known where they would be, but there was no possible way to have known that. It was an unexpected detour, one which had made the dwarf nervous beyond comparison. He never really liked the mountain pass, too much climbing involved for his feet. He was from the city after all. He liked to have some level ground under him and all this running up and down hills was making him slightly irritated. Especially when it seemed like they had gotten turned around. They'd spent a whole day in a ravine once, trying to find a way out before they finally realized they'd gone full circle.

But those mages were fierce. They had managed to tag him with a few hits of a fire spell. Luckily he was in the river at the time so his soaked clothes weren't as flammable when soaked with water. He looked down at the edges of his coat. They had begun to tatter and fray. It was still slightly red from the blood that wouldn't wash out in places. A part of him was proud that he had survived this long with as many demon attacks as they had faced, and another part of him was bitter for having to kill many mages and Templars that simply would not listen to reason. This war needed to be over. And soon. if the living were too busy killing each other, then who would kill the encroaching hoard of the dead?

…

Ooh that was a good line. He'd have to remember that one and use it in one of his books. He looked down at the woman sleeping next to him. She wasn't as tall as he'd expected her to be. He'd met many Qunari before and they were all towering giants, but she was different. He supposed that it could've been because she was tal-vashoth, maybe those who did not come from the Qunari homelands didn't grow the same? Something they were fed as children perhaps? He wasn't sure. And honestly, he'd never wanted to find out. Making friends with their race wasn't at the top of his to-do list. But since she was here and happened to be stuck with him during this whole campaign, he wanted to know as much as he could about this strange woman whom he was risking life and limb for.

He looked at her face and sighed.

"Any chance you'll be waking up any time soon?" he poked the spoon into her cheek. Other than the funny face she made from having her cheek contorted by the offending object, she didn't move. Checking outside to make sure the fire was properly coralled, he sat down next to her bed and waited for the morning light to come. He started to hum under his breath, a song that he hadn't heard in a long while. He could barely even remember how the whole thing went but it kept him busy and distracted from her. The night passed slowly and once again he fell asleep just before dawn.

He had been so tired that he barely noticed the small little slip of a shadow that was curled up in the corner of the large tent, watching the two with beady little eyes. It never moved, not even to breathe. It just waited. And when the dwarf finally drifted off to sleep, it made its move. It uncurled itself and slithered silently to the end of the bed. It stretched and quivered, reshaping itself in the dim light of the burnt down candle, and becoming the shape of a woman. She stood towering over them, surveying the sleeping forms. She knew them, knew their ins and outs. Knew what their deepest fears were and what their loftiest dreams entailed. And she just watched them sleep. She left them alone there for the rest of the night, but she worried. She worried about their strength of will. Would they be able to survive the next few days, let alone what the future held for them?


	6. Hold Your Horses

_Thank you everyone for sticking with this story. I've been through some family difficulties and I'm just now getting back on the horse with my writing. Thanks for all your support!_

The sun rose slowly over the mountains that morning. It's golden light painting the landscape with a bright amber shine. The wind rustled the leaves in the trees as it whispered across the valley and stirred the silent campsite to life. Everything seemed distant and quiet.

When the dwarf stirred he could hear the distant sounds of life across the valley. Birds flitting about the trees and the scamper of rodents just beyond the tree line. His eyes opened slowly and he stretched his arms as far as they would go, releasing the tension in his neck and shoulders from sleeping sitting up. He looked around the tent as the sunlight seeped in through the fabric above them, brightening the small makeshift bedroom. As the fog of sleep started to fade away he noticed something large and grey standing in the entryway of the tent. His muscles tensed suddenly and he stood with a start, knocking the wooden chair to the ground with a clatter.

It was her, she stood there in a trance. Her ears twitching to every sound coming through the soft silence.

"Where are we?" she said. Her words slurred as if she was still half asleep. The dwarf just stood there and gawked, not knowing what to say. She'd been asleep for so long he was sure she would never wake up, but this was decidedly an improvement to her previous deathlike state. He licked his lips before attempting an answer.

"Well, we're at the base of the mountains. The seeker and the elf went on ahead to see if they could bring help. We didn't know when or…if you were going to wake up." He said softly, looking at her form silhouetted against the bright fabric. She lifted the fabric of the tent away, letting the sun beam through the opening.

_In that instant he knew she was the one. She was strong willed, driven, and most importantly, she didn't need him. She was graceful as she stood there. From the slope in her shoulders to the way her legs would tense as they kept her swaying body upright. He approached her slowly, her eyes captivating him like deep blue stars. He brushed his thumb across her cheek and pulled her into a passionate…._

Woah! His mind suddenly put on the brakes. His eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to reign in his "Creative" side. Besides, that scene made no sense… the sheer height difference would make it nearly impossible. He shook his head and returned himself to the situation at hand… it looked like this was going to be a very long day.


End file.
